The best deal going

I work and teach at a community college, and I love my job. It’s been busy, lately. As the economy has shrunk, our enrollment has grown in proportion. When people are laid off, they often use the opportunity to get training for a new job. Or, they get a degree to bolster their chances of keeping the job they have.

Community colleges are the best deal in town, educationally speaking. There was a post a few days ago at Wise Bread called A Frugal Resource: The Community College. It’s a great rundown of all the ways a community college can help you meet your goals. I would emphasize that a community college isn’t just college classes. We have many certificate programs that can be completed in a year or less. We also have adult high school classes, for people who need to get their GED. Our schedules are flexible and designed to provide access to the greatest number of people, and get them through programs as quickly as they like.

In Florida, several of the community colleges also offer bachelor’s degrees, including ours. If you already have an associate’s degree, you can enter the Bachelor of Applied Science program and earn a B.A.S. in supervision and management. We also have a B.S. degree in education. And, our tuition is lower for the junior and senior level classes than it is at the state universities.

Our library is open to the public. We have lots of books on writing resumes and interviewing. Anyone from the community can come in with their driver’s license, get a community patron card, and check out up to four books at a time. If you can’t find what you need at the public library, go on over to your community college library. The librarians there will be delighted to help you! 🙂